1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for building the rear portion of a motorcycle and the resulting article of manufacture, and more particularly, to such a process that results in a rear portion of a motorcycle that is unitary in construction, as a single piece, and the article of manufacture itself.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several designs for motorcycles have been designed in the past for rear fenders and seat assemblies. None of them, however, are manufactured with a process that welds an entire molded rear portion to the motorcycle frame resulting in a unitary rear portion. This process has many benefits, in addition to shortening the time and expense of manufacturing the articles, such as resulting in a noiseless unitary piece. The number of parts that need to be inventoried is also minimized. The resulting rear portion provides a unique long lasting article of manufacture that is not susceptible to squeaking noises nor the loosening of parts.
Applicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to U.S. publication No. 2006/0290094 A1 issued to Kamalian on Dec 28, 2006 for a carbon fiber motorcycle frame. Kamalian discloses the use of a carbon fiber material and method for adding elements to a frame such as the fender and seat. See claim 22 and paragraph 46. Kamalian acknowledges the desirability of frames with few joints but it teaches away from using metal. However, it differs from the present invention because it uses carbon fiber, which is not as strong structurally as steel. While the unitary objective can be accomplished the resulting structure is obviously weaker than if it had been metal. Kamalian discloses in paragraph 0054 the use of various layers of fiber to strengthen the structure thereby undermining the claimed advantage of low cost and weight. The present inventor, on the other hand, utilizes moldable steel sheets that are formed to create a unitary piece that is welded to conventional metal frames. This method of building the rear portion of motorcycles is not known.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.